


When One Door Closes

by Kyuubiluver342



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akechi Goro Lives, Attempted Murder, Blood, Blood and Injury, Good Boy Sakamoto Ryuji, Kidnapping, Let Sakamoto Ryuji Say Fuck, M/M, POV Akechi Goro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:14:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22948393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyuubiluver342/pseuds/Kyuubiluver342
Summary: Ryuji manages to save Akechi from Shido's Palace,but did they end up in an even worst situation?
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira & Sakamoto Ryuji
Comments: 4
Kudos: 67





	When One Door Closes

Akechi slid along the wall, panting heavily as he dragged his mostly useless leg behind him. His hands grabbed onto whatever he could get a grip on, struggling not to look back at the rising water behind him. He had taken care of his poorly made clone and managed to escape the engine room, but now it was looking like he jumped from the pan and into the fire. Another explosion and Akechi cried out as the ship started to tilt even more.

“What did those idiots do!” he hissed.

And yet, if his ship was sinking, that meant, somehow, that ragtag team of idiots did what he had been trying to do for months. They took Shido down. There was a bittersweet realization that all his hard work had ended up benefiting someone else before he realized he needed to keep going. If he wanted to escape this place and not end up trapped forever, he needed to find his way out.

He continued on, but everything hurt. Everything fucking hurt so much and though his clone had been a lousy shot, the fucker had gotten him in the leg before he died. The ship started to tilt even more and Akechi could feel himself sliding backwards.

“Is this it? Is this how far I go?” Akechi muttered.

That was a depressing thought. All this work and he only came this far? He didn’t even get to see Shido’s end? He looked back for the first time and saw the water catching up to him. Would anyone blame him if he just gave up? No one expected him to get this far anyway. He took a breath, let it out slowly and started to let go when the windows shattered and someone slammed into him.

“SHIT!” they yelled.

His eyes opened, staring down at none other than Ryuji Sakamoto on his lap. There was a part where they looked at each other in just plain wonder before Ryuji sat up.

“You’re alive!” he sounded so amazed and Akechi could have laughed.

Could have laughed and cried and raged, but he was just stunned silent. Staring at Ryuji’s ridiculous mask was not what he expected his last sight to be.

“What are you doing here?” Akechi finally whispered.

Ryuji blinked as the ship started to shake again before he got up.

“No time for that now, we have to go before we are dragged into the water of this asshole’s mind! Come on!” Ryuji held out a hand and Akechi wanted to laugh again, so he did because what did he have to lose at this point?

Ryuji looked at him funny as he just sat there, laughing.

“Dude, come on! We have to go!” Ryuji said, shaking his hand urgently.

Akechi chuckled died down and he leaned back against the wall, staring at Ryuji with his dark eyes.

“Are you stupid or something? Like really. You’re helping me? After all I’ve done?” Akechi said with a sneer.

Ryuji rolled his eyes.

“I’m helping you because you don’t deserve to drown in this asshole’s subconious when you managed to get this close to the exit! So, let’s fucking go, dude!” Ryuji snarled.

Akechi just sat there, not moving.

“My leg is injured. There is no way I can make it there.” Akechi said boredly.

Ryuji scuffed.

“And mine is fucked up, but you don’t see me bitching. Look, do you want to live or not?” Ryuji demanded.

Akechi opened his mouth, but stopped. Did he want to live? He wasn’t quite sure. 

“And where am I supposed to go? Even if Shido is dead or whatever, his men will find me.” Akechi replied.

Akechi, of course, had planned for that. He had a safe house ready, a fake identity all set for when he had finally taken Shido down, but he knew he would spend the rest of his life on the run. Shido’s people would no doubt blame him for this and suddenly, Akechi wasn’t sure what he was bothering to live for. He eyed the rising water again.

“For the love of… ok, you know what?” Ryuji said angrily.

Before Akechi could even ask, he was grabbed and tugged onto Ryuji’s back before Ryuji started to move. Akechi yelped and struggled.

“What are you doing! Release me!” Akechi demanded.

Ryuji turned his head and snarled.

“Shut the FUCK up! I am saving you whether you like it or not, asshole!” Ryuji snapped.

Akechi stopped, staring.

“What?” Akechi asked.

“Yeah, I’m fucking saving you, so shut up and let me focus!” Ryuji snapped back.

Akechi hung there, certainly not helping as Ryuji moved back to the window from whence he came. On the side, Akechi noticed there was a long walk way. Ryuji kicked out the rest of the window, watched it fall into the water below before he shoved Akechi out first. Akechi barely had time to catch himself before Ryuji climbed out beside him.

“Let’s go, this ship is sinking!” Ryuji demanded.

Akechi could have argued, could have told him to fuck off, but he was so stunned that Ryuji had dragged him to safety against his wishes that when Ryuji shoved him forward, he started moving. His leg throbbed painfully, but Ryuji just kept pushing him farther. He didn’t actually have any idea where they were going, just that they were heading towards the end of the ship. 

The pace was slow and the pain was like lightning up and down his nerves and before long, Akechi felt tears well up in his eyes and drip down his face. He stopped, shaking and trembling, leg unable to hold him up any longer. He glanced up and could see the tip of the ship, just beyond his reach. He choked.

“I can’t. I can’t. It hurts so much.” Akechi’s voice shook.

A hand was placed on his back and he looked at Ryuji.

“Akechi, you have to. Look!” Ryuji stated pointing.

Akechi followed his finger and saw a single lifeboat just a few feet away. Akechi swallowed, wondering if the lifeboat would be enough to hold them. Akechi looked back at Ryuji. He was so stern, so demanding that Akechi just nodded. They moved closer and closer to the edge of the ship and Akechi yelped as the ship tilted even more.

“No time to waste!” Ryuji shoved him and Akechi yelped again as he landed in the lifeboat.

Akechi scrambled to get up as Ryuji jumped in. Ryuji grabbed ahold of the ropes as they started to fall.

“Hold on!” Ryuji yelled.

Akechi closed his eyes, said a prayer…

And opened them to see a fading blue sky overhead. He blinked and then sat up, staring at the walls all around him. He was outside, he had escaped! He slowly got up, still feeling the throb in his leg. There was an actual moment where he considered tearing his pants off to look at his leg, just to make sure there wasn’t a bullethole in it, but he knew that was stupid. Injuries in that world couldn’t follow him to this one.

He straightened up and his brain started to race. First thing he had to do was find out if Shido was dead or not, then he would have to gather his things and get out of town, next he would check to see if Ryuji was… Akechi stopped. Wait, what did he care if Ryuji was ok or not? The boy was a menace! If he didn’t make it out of Shido’s Palace, the world was better off.

And yet, there was a part of Akechi that wanted to make sure Ryuji was ok. The boy had saved his life. It was only proper, after all. Then he could disappear and not have to worry about any of this nonsense ever again. Yes, that was a sound plan. He walked towards the opening to the alley, looking around to make sure no one was around and quickly hid when the Phantom Thieves, minus one, walked right by him.

He waited until their voices faded away before he stepped outside. He straightened his tie and sighed deeply before looking around. Nearby, he saw a flash of yellow and paused. Ryuji sat under a streetlight, looking lost and sad. Akechi titled his head to the side in wonder, eyeing the path where the Phantom Thieves had gone before walking over. Ryuji looked at him and then gave a smile.

“So, you made it out too, huh?” Ryuji said.

Akechi crossed his arms. He eyed the mark slowly blossoming on Ryuji’s cheek.

“Yes… thanks to you, I suppose.” Akechi admitted.

Ryuji’s smile got a bit wider and he stood up, dusting himself off.

“Well, at least someone thanked me.” Ryuji muttered.

Akechi raised an eyebrow. He certainly had no idea what that meant, but he also did not have the brain power to think about it right now.

“Even still, there was no reason for you to save me.” Akechi replied.

Ryuji’s actions were… confusing. Ryuji certainly had never been his biggest fan and the feeling was mutual, but he had gone out of his way to save Akechi’s life. Ryuji glanced at him and shrugged.

“Wasn’t going to let you die there. Not when I could help.” Ryuji stated.

“But you had no reason to help me specifically.” Akechi pushed.

Ryuji rolled his eyes.

“Of course I didn’t. Hell, I could have left you to die, but I didn’t, so can we leave it at me being a good person?” Ryuji said annoyed.

Akechi scuffed because he was tired and let’s be honest here, he didn’t have any reason to keep up appearances around Ryuji anymore. That ship, obviously, had sailed.

“What’s the old phrase? Nice guys finish last?” Akechi stated.

Ryuji scowled.

“You know, if you keep this up, I might just finish what your psycho clone started!” Ryuji growled.

Akechi had a come back on the tip of his tongue when he heard the squeal of tires. He turned and felt his heart stop when he saw a black van coming their way. He knew what was happening. He took a step back, panic on his face when his arm was grabbed and suddenly, he was running.

“W-What?” Akechi looked at Ryuji, who was booking it like his life depended on it.

“I don’t know who those guys are, but I know two things: we just royally fucked up Shido’s brain and black vans are never a good thing in the movies, so let’s go!” Ryuji said quickly.

His grip on Akechi’s wrist was iron tight and Akechi wanted to pull away, tell him to let go, but he felt like he couldn’t breath. He was exhausted, all that time spent in Shido’s Palace had really drained his energy. His body begged him to stop, get some rest, his leg still throbbed, but Akechi knew that if he slowed down now, they would be grabbed. Ryuji darted into an alley and Akechi heard the van race by.

Ryuji slowed just a bit, but didn’t release Akechi’s wrist and he once again had the urge to pull away when Ryuji peeked out the end of the alley and sighed.

“Coast is clear.” Ryuji said leaning back against the wall.

Akechi coughed lightly and Ryuji glanced at him, confused. Akechi looked down and then back at him, eyebrow raised. Ryuji stared and then looked down.

“Oh! Shit, sorry.” Ryuji let go and chuckled nervously.

Akechi rubbed his wrist just for show, making Ryuji scowl.

“What was that all about?” Ryuji asked.

“If I had to guess? Shido.” Akechi said with a matching scowl. 

He had taken too long. He needed to get out of the area and to his safe house before they found him again. He quickly pulled out his phone and dumped it in the trash.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Ryuji asked.

Akechi rolled his eyes.

“Getting rid of everything that they can use to track me.” Akechi replied.

Ryuji titled his head to the side as Akechi dumped his gloves and blazer in the trash as well. He straightened his tie and adjusted his hair. He had to get going.

“What about your tie?” Ryuji asked.

Akechi paused, looking at him confused.

“My tie?” Akechi parroted.

Ryuji walked over and flipped the tie around, pulling some of the fabric to the side.

“Futaba hacked into the tracking device in your ties. That’s why we always knew when you were going to show up.” Ryuji said, showing him the small device.

Akechi felt a flush rise in his cheeks. He had never even considered that his ties might be bugged! Shido and his people really were sneaky!

“Wait, if you knew my ties were bugged…?” Akechi asked.

Ryuji raised an eyebrow.

“Well, what were we supposed to tell you? “Hey Akechi, don’t wear one of your ties when you meet with us because we already know you are working with the bad guys because we hacked it?” No offense, man, but that wouldn’t have gone over well.” Ryuji stated.

Akechi huffed and tugged his tie off, throwing it in the trash. This sucked, he really liked that tie too. Akechi looked at Ryuji and sighed deeply.

“You saved me… again.” Akechi stated.

Ryuji crossed his arms.

“I think I saved us both. You don’t think they were going to let me walk away, did you?” Ryuji said.

That was also true.

“You are a lot more intelligent than you appear.” Akechi replied.

“Ok, I have no idea whether to take that as an insult or compliment, so screw you, but thanks, I guess. And I’m not dumb, I’m just… slow.” Ryuji grumbled. 

Akechi had figured as much.

“Well, I suppose this is goodbye.” Akechi said simply.

Ryuji gave him a confused look.

“You say that as if I am never going to see you again.” Ryuji stated.

“You aren’t. I am leaving this city. My job is done, Shido is dead and I have no reason to stay here any longer.” Akechi replied.

Why was he telling Ryuji this? What did it matter? He was leaving, that was that. It had been decided years ago. Ryuji hummed and shoved his hands into his pockets.

“I can’t say I’ll miss you, but good luck, I guess.” Ryuji replied.

Akechi nodded and left the alley. He didn’t make it that far before he heard a yell. Turning, his eyes got wide when he saw two men pounce on Ryuji. He had no time to react when he was also grabbed. He cursed, trying to struggle, but it was no use. They picked him up like he weighed nothing and he was dragged into the black van. His eyes were quickly covered, his mouth gagged and his hands tied behind his back. He was forced to kneel as a gun was pressed against the back of his head.

“The fucker bit me!” someone said angrily as another body slammed into Akechi.

He grunted and he vaguely recognized the answering noise as Ryuji. Well, shit. The van started to move and Akechi tried to keep himself balanced, but Ryuji had practically been thrown on top of him, so after one really sharp turn, they ended up on the floor. Ryuji gave a muffled ‘motherfuckers!’, but other than that, was silent.

They drove for a while, no one spoke and Akechi tried to keep track of the turns, but it was hard. In the end, all they could do was wait. When they finally stopped, Ryuji was yanked off him before Akechi was grabbed and dragged. He had rubbed his face against his shoulder to get the blindfold down enough to see where they were going. His heart dropped when he recognized Shido’s personal mansion looming before them.

They were dragged inside, where Ryuji was separated from him, and he was forced to sit down. The blindfold was ripped from his face and Akechi looked up to see two of Shido’s board of directors standing before him. Akechi swallowed hard.

“Hello, Akechi-kun. How nice it is to see you again.” the man said.

He was an older man and he had a pleasant face, but Akechi knew better than to rely on looks alone. Nagoto Kan was as ruthless and as cruel as they came, even more so than Shido had been at times. Akechi had learned not to cross him.

“Kan-san, please, we have no time for pleasantries.” a woman said coldly.

Her stern face and eyes made Akechi mentally sneer. She was as nasty one as well and he hated being near her. Yuka Ogata ruled her company with an iron fist. Any who opposed her were swiftly and severely dealt with.

“Ogata-san, please. There is no reason to be rude. Akechi-kun here is our friend, remember?” Kan said gently.

“Friend? He has ruined everything!” she said angrily.

Akechi’s eyes narrowed. He ruined everything? Like their actions hadn’t led to hundreds of people being injured or killed? Oh yes, clearly he was the problem here.

“Ogata-san, please calm down. I am sure he has a very good explanation for everything, isn’t that right, Akechi-kun?” Kan said sweetly.

His voice was sweet, but his words were anything but. A hidden threat and Akechi wasn’t sure how this was going to work. He was essentially powerless right now. The gag was pulled off by someone standing behind him and Akechi worked his jaw a bit to get some feeling and moisture back.

“Ogata-san, Kan-san, a pleasure as always. Though I do wonder why I was dragged here.” Akechi stated.

Play the game, Akechi. He had been trained on how to do it, time to put that to work.

“Oh please, enough with your goody two shoes persona, Akechi. We have a serious issue here!” Ogata said angrily.

“Oh? And that would be?” Akechi asked.

“Shido-san’s heart has been changed, Akechi-kun. We tried everything to stop it, but the Phantom Thieves have succeeded.” Kan replied.

Akechi’s eyebrows shot up. They had tried to stop it?

“And what, exactly, do you mean by that? We already knew he would be a target, but I was told you had it handled.” Akechi stated.

“Shido-san thought it was best to attempt a very… controversial drug to keep the Thieves from completing their task.” Ogata admitted.

“A drug?” Akechi asked.

“Yes, one that would put him in suspended animation. It failed however.” Ogata said.

Suspended animation? Akechi’s eyes widened at the realization. If they had done that, the Thieves would have been killed! He would have been killed! Akechi frowned.

“And again, I ask: why was I not sent to stop them?” Akechi asked.

Shido had refused to even consider it when Akechi had put the idea forth, told him they already had a plan. He never believed they would do this! Sure, he had gone in anyway, but they didn’t need to know that. Kan chuckled.

“Akechi-kun, please do not think of us as fools. We all knew how you felt about Shido-san. Did you really think we would send you into his mind with the belief you would help him? Absolutely not.” Kan said simply.

Akechi stared.

“If that is the truth, then why am I here? If you didn’t send me to help him, how is it my fault his heart was changed?” Akechi demanded.

“You were supposed to have killed their leader! You told us you did!” Ogata said angrily.

So they knew Akira was still alive? He wondered how they worked out.

“And I believed I did as well. They... tricked me.” Akechi said.

To admit that burned a little bit, but he also felt a bit of excitement. Akira had been so clever, they had him pinned and he hadn’t even known it. Truly, he picked the right rival for this game.

“Akechi, your failure to take care of the Thieves has resulted in the worst possible scenario! Shido-san wants to confess to everything! We had to have him committed just to keep him from talking! You need to fix this!” Ogata demanded.

“Fix this? What do you mean by fix this?” Akechi was confused.

“You need to go inside his heart and change it back.” Kan replied.

Akechi paused and then snorted. He bowed his head as he laughed, finding it all too hysterical. His exhaustion was really getting to him. He never would have done this if he was in his right mind. Certainly not to their faces anyway.

“What are you laughing at!” Ogata stomped her foot.

Akechi calmed down and sat back. He smiled at them.

“No.” he replied.

Kan’s smile dropped. Ogata looked like she swallowed a lemon.

“No?” she demanded.

“No. Or actually I should say, that’s impossible. If the Thieves did change his heart, there is nothing to go back to and ‘fix’. It’s all gone.” Akechi explained.

This just went to show they had no idea what happened behind the scenes. That they hadn’t bothered to read the research Shido had provided them or listened when Akechi explained what was going to happen to the men they handed over to the Thieves to ‘fix’.

“What do you mean! We need to fix this!” Ogata snapped.

Akechi blew out a sharp breath.

“If you actually read or listened to the research Shido and I provided you, you would understand that once someone’s heart is changed, their Palace, or basically their cognitive view of the world, disappears. If what you are saying is true, then Shido’s Palace is gone.” Akechi stated.

Kan and Ogata looked at each other. That was not what they wanted to hear.

“So what do we do? Shido-san will ruin everything!” Ogata demanded.

“Now, now, Ogata-san. All is not lost.” Kan said simply.

Akechi raised an eyebrow. It seemed pretty lost to him.

“And what, exactly, are you suggesting?” Ogata asked, arms crossed.

“There is much we need to discuss, but first, we have a loose end to tie up.” Kan replied.

Akechi had a bad feeling about that sentence.

“A loose end? And that would be?” Akechi demanded.

They turned to him.

“You failed us, Akechi-kun. And failure, as you know, is not an option.” Kan explained.

Akechi’s stomach sank. Ogata suddenly looked all too pleased.

“I’m sure no one will miss him.” she stated.

Kan chuckled.

“Now, now, Ogata-san, that’s quite rude. I’m sure lots of people will miss him. That is why it needs to be as tragic as possible, so that no one questions his sudden disappearance.” Kan replied.

“Wait, you can’t just do that!” Akechi said.

“Oh, but we can, Akechi-kun. And we will.” Kan replied chuckling.

The two guards suddenly grabbed him and dragged him to his feet again. Before he could say anything more, the gag was shoved back in his mouth. Kan sighed dramatically.

“So sad, Akechi-kun. And here I thought we would go so far together.” Kan said.

Akechi struggled, but there was nothing he could do.

“Sir, what about the other boy?” one guard asked.

Kan frowned.

“Other boy?” Ogata asked.

“Yes, there was another young man with him.” the guard replied.

Ogata looked furious.

“And you brought him here! Do you have any idea what you have done!” she yelled.

Kan coughed and she looked at him.

“Please, bring him in.” Kan said.

There was some commotion and Akechi was dropped back in his chair before the doors opened again and Ryuji was dragged in. He was struggling violently, enough that his blindfold dropped. When he saw them, he glared.

“I see. And who is this?” Ogata demanded.

Akechi’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. What the hell was she talking about? She knew who this was! It had been in his… Akechi’s eyes widened. They had no idea who Ryuji was. They hadn’t read the report about the Palaces, why did he assume they had read the report about the Thieves themselves? He had certainly never bothered to tell them about anyone, but Akira.

“He was with Akechi-san.” the guard said.

“With him? I see. Some fan then.” Kan said dismissively.

Ryuji let out an outraged cry, but Akechi caught his eye and quickly shook his head. Ryuji’s brow furled, but he went silent.

“What do we do with him?” the guard asked.

Ogata hummed and rubbed her chin.

“He looks like some punk. I am sure we don’t have to worry about any parents.” Ogata stated.

“Even still, it is best to be discreet, cover all our bases, so to speak.” Kan said calmly.

Ogata hummed.

“So what should we do with him?” Ogata asked.

Kan rubbed his chin.

“Two poor young men, one the famous detective, the other some random street kid, both killed in a horrific accident. I can practically see the headlines now.” Kan replied simply.

Ryuji paled so fast that Akechi actually felt some concern. Ogata hummed.

“You think that will work?” she asked.

Kan chuckled.

“It always does. Place them in the basement for now.” Kan ordered.

Akechi was dragged to his feet and they were marched through the mansion. Akechi had been there before and sneered at the obnoxious paintings and artwork that they walked past. Ryuji looked around and seemed unimpressed.

“Watch your step.” one guard snarked as another opened a door before Akechi was suddenly shoved.

Akechi hit the ground with a groan and didn’t have any time to move before Ryuji landed on top of him. Akechi groaned lowly as the door was slammed shut and then they were in darkness. Eventually, Ryuji squirmed his way off Akechi and sat up. Akechi rolled over to look at him as Ryuji roughly rubbed the gag against his shoulder. It finally loosened and Ryuji let out a gasp.

“ASSHOLES!” he roared up the stairs and Akechi just sighed.

Akechi eventually got his undone enough for it to fall off and Ryuji looked at him.

“So, who were the terrible two upstairs?” Ryuji asked.

“Shido’s men. They were on his board of directors and they are both incredibly powerful.” Akechi admitted.

No use hiding it, after all. Ryuji made a noise of annoyance.

“So, what does this mean? Like they were talking about… you know.” Ryuji asked.

“It means we are in deep trouble and if we don’t escape out of here, we will die.” Akechi said.

Ryuji stared at him before letting out a slow breath.

“I thought you were going to say that.” Ryuji muttered.

Akechi rolled over to his back and sat up, but he was sore and tired. He moved back until he was against a wall and closed his eyes, leaning his head back. He felt Ryuji’s eyes on him and let out a sharp sigh.

“What?” he demanded.

“Uhh, shouldn’t we be figuring a way out?” Ryuji asked.

Akechi’s eye twitched and he opened them to glare at Ryuji.

“And what, praytell, am I supposed to work with? We have no weapons, no way out and no way to call for help! So, truly, how do you expect us to get out?” Akechi snapped.

Ryuji blinked and then scowled.

“Listen, asshole, don’t snap at me! I don’t want to die, ok?!” Ryuji snarled.

Akechi blew out a breath and leaned his head back, thumping it against the wall.

“And you think I do! I don’t, believe me, I don’t! But honestly, I don’t have a trick to play, a card up my sleeve or an ace in the hole. And to be perfectly frank, I’m exhausted, I’m sore, and I’m hungry. And I want to go home.” Akechi squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the exhaustion pull at his emotions.

The tears welled up and he shuddered. He tried to hold them back, but a choked hiccup escaped and then all hell broke loose. Before long, snort and tears were rolling down his face as he cried. A warmth settled next to him and he leaned against it, just needing someone, anyone to lean on. When he finally was done, he felt like he was about to fall asleep. A sigh made him look over and see Ryuji staring at the wall.

“You done?” Ryuji asked.

Akechi huffed a laugh before sitting up.

“Yes, I suppose so.” Akechi drawled.

Ryuji nodded. They were quiet for a moment or two, letting Akechi collect himself.

“So, about not having an ace in the hole. I still have my cell phone.” Ryuji stated.

Akechi stared at the floor and then slowly looked at him.

“And you couldn’t say anything sooner?” he demanded.

Ryuji shrugged.

“You looked like you needed a minute.” Ryuji replied.

“A minute less to save ourselves.” Akechi argued.

“Look, do you want my damn phone or not?” Ryuji demanded.

“They didn’t take it? I’m shocked.” Akechi stated.

“Well, they weren’t planning on taking me anyway, so I guess they didn’t bother to check me.” Ryuji replied.

“Where is it?” Akechi asked.

Ryuji shifted and Akechi could see the phone sticking out of his back pocket.

“That’s all well and good, but my hands are tied behind my back.” Akechi replied.

“Here, press your back to mine.” Ryuji said.

They shifted and Ryuji worked on the knot while Akechi pulled the phone from his pocket.

“Done!” Ryuji said pleased.

“That was fast.” Akechi said as he rubbed his wrists.

“Yeah, tying knots was a hobby of my dad’s. Kind of had to learn how to undo them.” Ryuji admitted sourly.

If Akechi remembered Ryuji’s file right, Ryuji’s father had been highly abusive and left the family when Ryuji was young. Akechi said nothing as he looked at the phone.

“Ok, now who do we call? The police?” Ryuji asked.

Akechi shook his head.

“They won’t do anything. Ogata will be sure of that.” Akechi muttered.

Ryuji frowned.

“Ok, what about Akira?” he asked.

Akechi looked at him.

“And what, exactly, is he supposed to do? He’s supposed to be dead, remember? Of course, Kan and Ogata did mention that he was still alive. I wonder how they figured that one out.” Akechi said boredly, eyeing him.

Ryuji looked at him and then looked away. Akechi’s eyes narrowed.

“What did you do?” Akechi demanded.

“We… might have revealed to the world that Akira lived to get Shido’s treasure to appear.” Ryuji said.

Akechi’s eye twitched.

“You did what!” he roared.

Ryuji winced.

“We had to do something! We weren’t going to get anywhere near him!” Ryuji snapped back.

“So what did you do, hack into the tv station and put it on every TV in the city or something?” Akechi mocked.

“Yes?” Ryuji said with a nervous smile.

Akechi stared at him, mouth hanging open.

“Wait, how long was I left in his Palace for then?” Akechi demanded.

“We did not leave you! We thought you were dead! And it was only a day!” Ryuji replied.

Akechi let out a breath and looked at the phone again. He turned it on and scowled. He held it up.

“No service.” he muttered angrily.

“Shit. My carrier is really shitty.” Ryuji scowled.

“Oh goodie. Some ace this turned out to be.” Akechi said mockingly.

“Hey, at least I had an ace!” Ryuji snapped.

Akechi grit his teeth as he continued to wave the phone around. It never got more than a single bar, which was useless. He was about to give up when Ryuji made a noise and Akechi looked at him.

“Where are we?” Ryuji asked, looking at a wall nearby.

Akechi leaned over and then huffed. He was staring at a whole wall of wines and other expensive alcohol.

“It’s a wine cellar. Shido, the pompous ass he was, collected some very expensive ones if I remember correctly.” Akechi stated.

Ryuji tilted his head to the side.

“Ok, but like who needs a fucking whole room for wine?” Ryuji asked.

Akechi sighed and leaned back.

“Rich people, that’s who. Well, one silver lining is, if we can get a few open, we can be utterly smashed before they come to kill us.” Akechi said boredly.

Ryuji turned to him.

“You know, I think I liked your fake personality better. The real you sucks.” Ryuji scowled.

Akechi scuffed and looked at him.

“Yes, I know. That is why I trained myself not to be the real me, but you wouldn’t understand such dedication, would you? No, a boy like you could never understand.” Akechi sneered.

Ryuji glared at him, his chocolate eyes burning.

“Oh, so Mister Hotshot thinks he has it bad, huh? Mister Famous Detective? News flash, asshole, I know how to bow my head and say ‘yes sir, no sir, whatever you say, sir!’ But guess what? I don’t see a reason to do that shit, so I fucking don’t. Guess one of us has a backbone and the other doesn’t, huh?” Ryuji mocked venomously.

Akechi glared at him.

“Is that so? So you can say you’ve sat across from a man who ruined your whole life and had to grit your teeth to keep from ripping his throat out?” Akechi demanded.

“As a matter of fact, I have! Shido is to you what Kamoshida was to me!” Ryuji snapped back.

Akechi rolled his eyes.

“Oh yes, your little PE teacher! Surely he compares to the massive man that was Shido. Give me a break!” Akechi replied.

Ryuji grabbed his shirt and dragged him close.

“Watch yourself, asshole! Kamoshida wasn’t just some PE teacher! He ran our school with an iron fist! He made our lives a living hell!” Ryuji growled.

Akechi slapped his hand away.

“You have no idea what Shido did! You have no idea how he ruined me!” Akechi yelled.

“Kamoshida shattered my leg! He stole my future from me!” Ryuji roared back.

“Shido stole my innocence from me!” Akechi screamed.

There was silence. The two of them stared at each other, faces flushed with their cooling rage. Akechi’s mouth was dry and he felt like he could bolt at any minute, not that there was anywhere to go, before Ryuji frowned and broke their eye contact.

“Yeah, well, your dad wasn’t the only one interested in molesting his son, ok?” Ryuji muttered.

Akechi stared at him, mind going blank as Ryuji pulled his legs to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Akechi sat there before looking at the floor.

“I never… told anyone that before.” Akechi muttered.

Ryuji nodded his head.

“Hard to admit.” Ryuji agreed.

Akechi leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling.

“What… are we going to do?” he finally asked.

Ryuji looked at him and then looked around before his eyes stopped on the wine again.

“Hey… those bottles are pretty heavy, right?” Ryuji asked curiously.

Akechi frowned and looked at the wines again.

“I would assume so, yes.” Akechi replied.

“Can we use them to bash the guards’ heads in when they come back for us?” Ryuji asked.

“That is very short sighted of you. If we do that, where do we go from there?” Akechi demanded.

“Well, you know this house, right?” Ryuji asked.

Akechi paused. He did, he knew it quite well actually. Shido had asked him to stay with him a few times. Akechi tried to forget the reason why he did that.

“You want me to lead us out of the house… and then what? Do you realize how far away we are from everything? We are at the very edge of the city.” Akechi asked.

“Well, my phone is shitty, but if we can get to a place where it works…” Ryuji trailed off, uncertain.

He was looking at Akechi and Akechi was struck by the idea that Ryuji was looking towards him to take the reigns, to make the plan to get them out of here, the same way he looked at Akira to lead him as the Thieves. Such trust in him and Akechi wondered if Ryuji was just a little naive to put that in him when Akechi was so close to just giving up. Akechi let out a breath and closed his eyes, his brain spinning.

“This door is right by the kitchens. If we can get there, we can sneak out the back. Security is lacking in the back because Shido was arrogant and never assumed anyone would try to attack his home from the back. But first, we need to figure out a way out.” Akechi stated.

He let out another slow breath. He could think of a million ways this could go wrong. They could have upped security since he had been here last. They could be expecting them to try an escape. A lot of things could go wrong. He felt Ryuji move and opened his eyes in confusion. He watched as Ryuji climbed the stairs and hissed.

“What are you doing?” he demanded.

Ryuji tried the doorknob and they were both startled when the knob turned.

“Huh, they didn’t lock it.” Ryuji muttered as he peeked his head out.

“No guards either.” Ryuji stated.

Akechi’s mind screeched to a halt. They seriously could not be that stupid… could they?

“You’re joking.” Akechi said boredly.

“Nope, the coast is clear.” Ryuji replied.

“And what exactly made you check the door?” Akechi asked getting up.

Ryuji shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged.

“Adults like that always underestimate kids like us. They probably thought we would be too scared to try the door. You would be surprised how easy it was to get close to some of our targets because they thought a bunch of kids weren’t going to do anything.” Ryuji stated.

Akechi had to admit, his age had worked out in his favor many times as well. He climbed the stairs and did his own check, but Ryuji was right. There wasn’t a single soul in the hallway. Akechi sneered before he pulled back and closed the door.

“We need to find something to arm ourselves with if we do find trouble.” Akechi said, looking around.

He eyed the bottle of wine for a second before shaking his head. Ryuji walked over to what seemed like a pile of junk and rummaged around before letting out a triumph noise. Akechi crossed his arms as Ryuji showed off a metal pipe.

“Back to basics, huh?” Akechi asked as Ryuji swung it around a few times.

“Listen man, my pipe has gotten me out of more trouble than I can count. Don’t mock my pipe.” Ryuji said, pointing angrily.

Akechi sighed before he looked around again. He ended up grabbing a small, thin piece of wood. He tested it a few times, much to Ryuji’s amusement, before moving towards the door.

“Our goal is to get out, not start a fight. Remember, this is not Mementos, this is the real world. They have guns, we do not. And we don’t have any Personas to back us up. So, try to keep yourself from bashing anyone in the head if you can.” Akechi grumbled.

Ryuji rolled his eyes.

“Just go, pretty boy. I want to go home.” Ryuji stated.

Akechi nodded and peeked his head out. No one was there and he let out a little sigh of relief. They slipped out of the door and crept down the hall. Ryuji stayed close, but Akechi was focused. They stopped at a corner and looked around. Nothing.

“Do you think they have cameras?” Ryuji asked.

“Shido was super paranoid, he definitely does. Whether they have access to them or not is anyone’s guess. I doubt they do.” Akechi explained.

Ryuji nodded as they kept moving. Akechi found his adrenaline pumping, his body was wired and his brain spinning. It seemed all the exhaustion from before was gone. They moved slowly, taking their time to make sure they weren’t stopped. They stopped at one point as two guards walked by and Akechi held his breath.

“Are you sure about this?” one asked.

“Please, as if those brats will actually go anywhere. They don’t pay me enough to babysit.” the other sneered. 

They kept going and Akechi let out a breath. He turned to look at Ryuji and saw he was grinning. Ryuji looked at him and mouthed “told you”. Akechi just scowled.

“Shut up.” he hissed.

They kept going. Akechi checked the phone and scowled. Still only a single bar. They managed to get to the kitchen and Akechi peeked inside. Empty, but he could see the backdoor from where they were.

“Empty.” he whispered.

“Then let’s go already!” Ryuji demanded.

Akechi nodded and they slipped inside. Ryuji let out a sigh and looked around.

“You think we should grab a knife or something?” Ryuji asked.

The two of them looked at each other. Knocking someone out was one thing, but if they grabbed a knife… Akechi stood up and grabbed one from the counter.

“Best to be prepared.” Akechi said when Ryuji gave him a wide eyed look.

Another check at the phone showed two bars now. Akechi could actually feel his hope rising.

“Where to now?” Ryuji asked.

Akechi shook his head. He led them to another door and peeked outside. He saw two guards in the distance, coming their way, and quickly snapped the door shut. He waited until he heard them walk by before peeking out again.

“Man, we are so close.” Ryuji whispered.

“Yes, we just need to keep our cool. Now, let’s go.” Akechi slipped outside and Ryuji followed.

Akechi looked around and saw a huge, brick wall about two hundred yards from them. He stared at it, wondering how the hell they were going to get over that thing when Ryuji pushed him forward.

“Move!” Ryuji yelped.

He heard yelling and cursed, booking it for the wall. As they got closer, it was clear it was even taller than he remembered, but on the other side was freedom and damnit, he was not about to give up now! They stopped at the bottom and Akechi turned to see three guards coming their way. 

“Akechi!” Akechi looked to see Ryuji cupping his hands.

It took a good moment or two for Akechi to catch on, but when he did, he put his foot in Ryuji’s hands and jumped up, dropping his makeshift weapon in the process. He grabbed the edge and pulled himself up to the top, his arms straining with the effort. Akechi looked down to see Ryuji backing away from the wall, looking determined.

“Sakamoto!” Akechi held out a hand.

Ryuji paused, let out a breath and then started to run. His speed was impressive, but he had been a track star. Ryuji hit the wall and scaled it just enough to grab Akechi’s hand. Akechi pulled him up the rest of the way, feeling something slip from his pocket as he did so, but having no time to look for it before Ryuji grinned.

“Get them!” a guard roared.

“No time to waste.” Ryuji said as he jumped down the other side.

Akechi followed and they booked it, running as fast as they could across the concrete. They zigzagged their way between alleyways and finally made it to a more crowded area. People looked at them funny and Akechi subconsciously started to brush down his hair, trying to make himself look more presentable when Ryuji grabbed his wrist again.

“Let’s go!” he said quickly.

To not draw too much attention, they walked quickly to the nearest train station. Akechi checked for Ryuji’s phone and scowled.

“I think I lost your phone.” Akechi muttered nervously.

Ryuji’s brow furled.

“I mean, that sucks, but we were running for our lives, so…?” Ryuji muttered.

Akechi sighed. Ryuji wasn’t getting it.

“If they get their hands on it, it could be a disaster. I mean, if they hack it, I doubt you all were careful enough not to talk about the Thieves.” Akechi replied.

Ryuji’s eyes got big and Akechi could see the light bulb going off above his head.

“Shit.” Ryuji said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“We’ll have to worry about it later.” Akechi said with a sigh.

Ryuji and he made it to the train station and got on the first train to Yongen-Jaya after a quick argument (Akechi didn’t want to go, but Ryuji pointed out that it was probably the only safe place for them). Sitting there, Akechi leaned against Ryuji’s shoulder and his eyes drooped. Ryuji sighed.

“I’ll wake you when we get there.” Ryuji muttered.

Akechi drifted off before he could reply. Ryuji sat there, staring at the ceiling and wondering.

“Hey, wake up!” Akechi jerked awake, looking around with wide eyes before looking at Ryuji.

“We’re here, let’s go.” Ryuji said quickly.

Akechi nodded and as they stepped off the train, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He looked up to see two men in suits stepping off the train as well. He shoved Ryuji forward.

“Go!” he yelled.

Ryuji didn’t need to be told twice. They ran, ignoring the yelling men behind them. They lost them in a crowd of high school girls, but that didn’t mean they were safe. They raced to Le Blanc and Ryuji grabbed the door, but it was locked.

“Shit! No, no, no! Open!” Ryuji said desperately.

Akechi tried the door too, but nothing. Together, they banged and yelled on the door before it was flung open.

“What in God’s name… Ryuji? Akechi!” Sojiro’s eyes just about popped out of his head.

“Let us in! Hurry!” Akechi said quickly.

Sojiro quickly stepped aside and they darted in, slamming the door shut and locking it behind them. Inside, they found Futaba and Akira standing there, eyes wide. Ryuji dropped to the floor, panting heavily, sweat rolling down his face. Akechi leaned against the counter, equally exhausted.

“Ryuji? Akechi? The hell is going on here!” Sojiro demanded.

“W-We were being chased!” Ryuji said quickly.

Akira placed his plate of curry on the counter and knelt down.

“Are you ok?” Akira asked.

“Dude, do I look ok! I was kidnapped!” Ryuji said.

Akira blinked, startled before looking at Akechi. He stared for a while before letting out a breath.

“Go upstairs and hide.” he commanded.

Ryuji gave a shaky thumbs up before getting up. Akechi stared at Akira.

“You too. We will talk later.” Akira stated as he got up.

Akechi nodded, unable to speak. He followed Ryuji upstairs and tried not to just collapse on the bed before them. It looked so inviting right now, despite it probably being very uncomfortable in reality. Instead, they cramped themselves into a corner, as far away from the window as possible. Then, they waited. Time seemed to go slowly, every heartbeat and breath seemed to take a million years. Vaguely, Akechi did hear the door open again, Sojiro started talking, but the conversation was brief and then there was more silence.

“Do you think they’re gone?” Ryuji whispered in Akechi’s ear.

Akechi jumped a bit, not really realizing what kind of compromising position they were in. They were face to face, chests pressed against the other’s, practically breathing the same air. Akechi’s face flushed a bit, wishing he could move, but the idea they might be found because he got jittery was not a great thought.

“We’ll just have to wait and see.”Akechi muttered.

Another thing Akechi noticed was that Ryuji was warm. It was something Akechi wasn’t used to. People didn’t touch him, he was considered a Prince after all. People had often told him they felt weird for touching him, like touching a porcelain doll. But Ryuji was not a doll. He was rough and sharp. Akechi remembered how dry Ryuji’s hand had felt in his. Even his chest seemed broader than Akechi’s. He wondered, idly, if Ryuji had muscles hidden under his clothes.

Ryuji shifted and the floorboards creaked. For a moment, they both froze, terrified they had just given their location away. Akechi actually felt himself start to sweat, terror gripping his soul when they heard footsteps. Akechi was sure if they were caught this time, there would be no second escape attempt. The door opened at the bottom of the stairs and someone climbed their way up.

“This is it.” Ryuji muttered.

Akechi glanced at him, seeing something in his eyes that made Akechi pause. Determination. Like Ryuji was willing to fight still, like he would attack whoever popped their head out first, like he wasn’t willing to go down without a fight. Akechi let out a breath as Akira’s head popped up.

“Coast is clear.” Akira stated as he climbed the last few steps.

Ryuji slumped against the wall behind him and Akechi felt that same relief. Akira raised an eyebrow at them as he held out two plates of curry.

“Thought you two would be hungry.” Akira stated as they climbed out of their corner.

Akechi and Ryuji’s stomachs gave twin growls and Ryuji descended on the curry like it was his last meal as he dropped to sit on the floor. Akechi walked over to the couch and slumped down, feeling every inch of his body go limp.

“I don’t even know if I have the energy to eat.” Akechi admitted, closing his eyes.

Ryuji looked at him and held out his spoon.

“Dude, you have to have some of this curry. It totally will give you your energy back!” Ryuji said.

Akechi opened one eye to look at him blankly.

“I doubt that very much. What I need is a mini coma and to never have to hear the name Shido ever again.” Akechi stated.

Akira placed the plate on his lap anyway and Akechi sighed. As he dug in, he had to admit, it was really good curry. His hunger won out over his exhaustion and he devoured the whole thing. Akira watched them both with calmness as Futaba and Morgana appeared.

“I don’t believe it. He is alive!” Morgana said in awe.

Akechi paused and swallowed his mouthful.

“Yes, I am. No thanks to you all.” he replied angrily.

A flash of hurt went through Akira’s eyes and Futaba bodily flinched before Ryuji slammed his elbow into Akechi’s shin, making him hiss.

“Shut up about that! We thought you were dead, you ass! And hey, I did drag you to safety!” Ryuji snapped.

Akechi huffed and rubbed his shin.

“Even still.” he hissed.

“Listen, I am sure there is a lot we need to go over, but first thing’s first, who were the two suits at my door.” Sojiro demanded as he appeared.

He had two more plates and Ryuji let out a cheer as he grabbed his.

“You’re the best, Boss!” Ryuji said between bites.

Sojiro gave a smirk and rubbed his nose.

“I know.” Sojiro replied.

“Shido’s men.” Akechi answered.

Akira’s eyes narrowed.

“Shido’s heart was changed.” Akira replied.

“But his men’s hearts weren’t. They kidnapped me with the hope I could change him back. As we all know, that’s impossible.” Akechi said as he started his own second plate.

Futaba frowned.

“Then why were you two together?” Futaba asked.

“I was grabbed too!” Ryuji exclaimed.

Akira frowned.

“Why? Are they coming after each Thief individually now?” Akira demanded.

“No, he was just a random target. We happened to be together, so they grabbed him too.” Akechi explained.

Morgana let out a confused sound.

“Why were you with him?” Morgana asked Ryuji.

Ryuji and Akechi both looked at each other before Ryuji put his empty plate down.

“Just luck, I guess.” Ryuji muttered.

Akira hummed and leaned back in his seat.

“You said you saved Akechi. So when we got blasted off the ship, that’s where you disappeared to. That’s why you appeared after everyone else.” Akira summarized.

Ryuji flushed, as if he had done something wrong before nodding.

“Got it in one.” Ryuji said.

Futaba made a confused noise.

“But, how did you survive?” Futaba asked as she sat down on the bed, pulling Morgana onto her lap.

Akechi placed his empty plate on the table and sat back.

“To be fair, I believed I had died myself, but it turns out my clone was a horrible shot. He got me in the leg and I almost bled out. I woke up when the ship was shaking and got out before it started to sink.” Akechi admitted.

“And I found him when I got blasted back onto the ship.” Ryuji said.

“Huh, and here I thought you didn’t like him.” Sojiro said amazed.

Ryuji huffed.

“I may not like him, but I wasn’t going to let him die. Man, you guys really think lowly of me, huh?” Ryuji grumbled.

Akira frowned and placed a hand on Ryuji’s shoulder.

“No, we don’t. I think you are very brave for trying to help him. We all thought for sure he was dead.” Akira stated.

“Turns out when you’re a rat, you can get yourself out of any situation, huh.” Futaba stated, glaring at Akechi.

Akechi eyed Futaba and then looked at Sojiro and Akira.

“What happens now?” he asked.

It was the question he had been dreading.

“What do you mean?” Ryuji asked confused.

Akechi crossed his arms.

“Shido’s men aren’t going to just let us get away. Especially me, so what happens now? Are you going to continue to hide me? Are you going to dump me out to the wolves? What are you going to do… Joker?” Akechi demanded.

Ryuji looked at him and then looked at Akira. Akira sat there, eyes locked with Akechi before he looked at Ryuji.

“To be honest with you?” Akira asked.

Akechi sniffed.

“As honest as you can be, go ahead.” Akechi replied.

Akira smirked.

“If I had my choice, I would dump your ass out in front of the train station with a big bow on your head for them to find.” Akira said coldly.

Ryuji’s mouth dropped. Sojiro looked taken aback.

“Akira?” Futaba whispered, shocked.

“If I had my way, I would hand you over to them on a silver platter after all you’ve done. It might not be the right thing to do, but to me? That would be justice.” Akira stated boldly.

Akechi swallowed, a bit startled himself.

“Akira, dude. Are you like for real?” Ryuji whispered.

“If you do that, they will kill me.” Akechi stated.

Akira clasped his hands together, still leaning back like he didn’t have a care in the entire world.

“And I should care because…?” Akira stressed.

Akechi stared, eyes wide.

“Dude.” Ryuji muttered.

“Akira.” Sojiro stated.

“You killed me. Or tried to. Twice.” Akira said angrily.

Akechi blinked.

“You tried to kill me, frame me for something that wasn’t my fault. You and your fucking father ruined my life.” Akira said, his eyes going wild.

“Akira.” Morgana called worriedly.

Akira stood up, towering over Akechi, just like when Akechi towered over Akira in the interrogation room and Akira was aiming to kill. But this time, the gun was made of words.

“My life was ruined, my friends lives were ruined, you murdered Haru’s father, you destroyed hundreds, if not thousands, of lives and you…” Akira chuckled angrily.

“You will never, ever stand trial for what you did.” Akira hissed.

Akechi shrunk down as Akira moved closer.

“You get to walk away, scott free. Your father? He will pay for his sins, but you? The gunman himself? The one who actually has the blood on his hands? You will never, ever spend even a single day in jail because no one, not the courts, not the judges, not even the police, will ever believe us! Even if we had proof that Mementos and Palaces and all that crap existed, they would never be able to prove it and you would walk away!” Akira shook his head.

For a moment, something foggy appeared over Akira’s shoulder and Akechi swallowed, but he had no moisture left in his mouth. Akira placed a hand against the wall beside Akechi’s head and leaned in.

“So, to be quite honest with you, Akechi Goro, if they want you, they can fucking have you and I will sleep well at night knowing a monster is off the streets.” Akira finished.

Akechi stared and Akira stared back and Akechi was about to speak when a hand was placed on Akira’s shoulder. The two looked at Ryuji, who stood there, eyes soft.

“But, you don’t mean that.” Ryuji said.

Akira tilted his head to the side.

“And how do you figure that? He ruined everything.” Akira sneered.

Akechi’s heart stopped. Those words, Ogata had said that exact same phrase before! Ryuji was shaking his head, however.

“Because if you hated him like you said you do, you wouldn’t have cried for him.” Ryuji replied.

Akira’s face fell, the rage and hatred suddenly washed away. Ryuji gently pulled him back and Akira went without a fight. Ryuji smiled at him.

“Because you were more upset with yourself that you couldn’t save him than you want to admit. You probably still are. So, you are angry and you are taking it out on him, but that’s not our big concern right now. So, dude, let it go. For now at least.” Ryuji stated.

Akira took a deep breath and then let it out in a rush. He nodded and Ryuji grinned.

“Great, because we have a problem. They have my phone.” Ryuji said.

Akira blinked and Futaba let out a yelp as Morgana’s claws dug into her leg.

“They have what!” Morgana yelled.

“I didn’t mean to! I… well, I dropped it when we were escaping.” Ryuji muttered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Akechi blinked. Was… Ryuji taking the fall for him dropping the phone? Akira sighed and rubbed his eyes.

“If they hack that phone, there is a good chance all the Thieves will be in danger.” Akira muttered.

“Akechi already said there was a file on us, though?” Ryuji said, looking at Akechi.

“There is. On everyone.” Akechi stated.

“But if that was the case, they could have just arrested us all. They haven’t, so they must need more proof. That phone could be it.” Futaba muttered.

“Can we hack his phone?” Akira asked quickly.

Futaba pulled out her own.

“Already on it.” she replied.

Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish.

“Sorry.” he muttered.

Akira sighed and then smiled at him.

“One phone is nothing. We’ll handle this. Now, I’m sorry your ma is out of her mind with worry. Do you want to give her a call?” Sojiro asked.

Ryuji nodded gratefully and followed Sojiro downstairs to use the phone. Left alone with Akira, Futaba and Morgana, Akechi suddenly felt… uneasy. Akira turned back to him and his eyes were cold.

“When everything is all said and done, I want you gone, got it?” Akira said coldly.

Akechi swallowed.

“Gone?” Akechi whispered.

“Yes, I want you to leave this city and never come back. I want you to go away and never, ever come near any of us again. I want you to disappear.” Akira said coldly.

He glanced at Futaba, but she was focused on her phone and Morgana was just watching them silently.

“I already… planned on doing that.” Akechi stated.

“Good, stick to that plan.” Akira said.

Akechi bowed his head. The exhaustion was pulling at him again. He was drained mentally and physically. His eyes slipped shut and that was the last thing he knew.

Sojiro sighed as he watched Ryuji talk on the phone. The poor kid was getting his ass rimmed, but there was nothing anyone could do. Ryuji had decided he was going to lie and not tell his ma where he had been. Admittedly, Sojiro understood the logic, but that didn’t mean his ma had to believe him. After another few minutes, Ryuji said goodbye and hung up with a sigh.

“She is going to give me an earful when I get home.” Ryuji said rubbing his temples.

“To be fair, at least you’re alive for her to do that.” Sojiro stated.

Ryuji paused and then turned to him. Sojiro stared and was reminded, maybe suddenly, that this was just a kid. They were all just kids. They should be worried about finals, dating, getting a job, not saving the world and putting power hungry adults in their place. As they stood there in silence, Sojiro wondered how many times this boy had cried out for help and no one had listened.

Akira had told him about Kamoshida, about the track team, about Ryuji’s leg and yet, when you looked at Ryuji, you didn’t see that. Most people would see a punk kid with a bad attitude and not look any deeper. Hell, when Sojiro had met him, that had been his first impression! It had taken days for Sojiro not to assume the worst of the kid and even then, he had still been suspicious when Akira had brought him around Futaba the first time.

“Come here.” Sojiro said.

Ryuji blinked and looked up. He moved closer and Sojiro pulled him into a hug. He felt Ryuji relax and hug back, seeking the comfort and safety Sojiro was offering it to him. Slowly, he pulled back.

“You told her you were staying the night, right?” Sojiro asked.

“Yeah. I don’t think I want to test my luck out there.” Ryuji said, eying the front door nervously.

“No problem. I’ll get more blankets and pillows from my house, you go back upstairs.” Sojiro said.

“Thanks, Boss.” Ryuji said gratefully.

Ryuji ran back upstairs and Sojiro sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I am too old for this.” Sojiro muttered as he left.

Akira looked up when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Ryuji’s blond head quickly popped up and Akira smiled.

“She mad?” Futaba asked.

“Oh hell yeah. Tomorrow, when I go home, I won’t be shocked if I go deaf.” Ryuji sighed.

Akira nodded subconsciously as he turned back to Akechi. He was asleep on the couch, snoring lightly, but even still, Akira felt the urge to keep an eye on him. Months of spying and keeping Akechi under surveillance made it hard to just forget those thoughts.

“How are you doing?” Morgana asked gently.

Akira looked at Ryuji and saw he was about to collapse on his feet, but still, he waved Moragana off.

“Aw, I didn’t know you cared, cat.” Ryuji teased.

Morgana growled, but Futaba looked up from her phone with a noise of triumph.

“I hacked Ryuji’s phone! Looks like they haven’t figured out how to get into it yet, but I made sure to hide everything about the Phantom Thieves or erase it completely.” she said delightedly.

“That’s good. Keep an eye on it. Make sure they can’t do anything with the information inside. Scrub it if you have to.” Akira commanded.

Ryuji whined.

“Man, don’t scrub my phone! I have pictures on there I want!” he pouted.

All of them looked at him and he frowned.

“Ok, ok fine. Do what you have to.” he grumbled as he rubbed his eye.

“Ryuji, why don’t you get some sleep?” Akira stated.

Futaba grumbled, but climbed off the bed. It didn’t take a lot to get Ryuji to lie down, but when he did, he was out cold. Akira crossed his arms when he heard movement downstairs. Sojiro came up and blinked, carrying some pillows and blankets.

“Damn, they’re out already?” Sojiro asked.

“They had a rough few days. I’m not shocked.” Akira admitted.

Sojiro handed off the blankets and pillows to Akira, who made sure that Akechi had some comfort. Akira set up a little bed on the floor and while Sojiro offered to have Akira stay with them for the night, Akira waved him off.

“I want to be here in case anything happens. We’ll be fine.” Akira said.

It took a little pursuing, but finally, Futaba and Sojiro left. Morgana sat on the floor, staring at Akira as he got ready for bed.

“What?” Akira finally said.

“You didn’t mean what you said earlier… right?” Moragana asked.

Akira paused and looked at Morgana.

“Which part?” Akira asked as he laid down.

Morgana walked over and curled up next to him.

“About Akechi. About being happy to see him die. I know you better than that. As much as you are angry at him, you are going to do everything in your power to help him.” Morgana pointed out.

Akira stared at the ceiling for the longest time before sighing.

“I don’t hate him. I’m angry at him, I’m furious with him, but I don’t hate him. I feel like hating him would be easier than the feelings I actually had for him.” Akira muttered.

Morgana yawned and stretched.

“So what are you going to do?” Morgana asked sleepily.

Akira sighed.

“Call the Thieves tomorrow, get them caught up and figure out a way out of this mess.” he replied.

They were silent and eventually fell asleep.

Akira woke up the next morning feeling sore from sleeping on the floor, but Ryuji and Akechi were still out cold and he had work to do. Grabbing his phone, he started to make some calls. Within the next few 30 minutes, the rest of the Thieves showed up at Le Blanc, many looking concerned.

“I came as soon as I can. What’s the big deal?” Ann asked.

Akira frowned and waved his hand towards the booths.

“Sit. We have a lot to go over.” Akira stated.

Makoto frowned and eyed him.

“And we are talking here? Why not upstairs?” she asked.

“It’s important and upstairs is… busy right now.” Akira stated.

Her eyes narrowed even more, but Haru let out a little cough.

“Mako-chan. Please sit down. You know Akira will explain everything to us and if we can’t go upstairs right now, then please respect that.” Haru said gently.

Makoto flushed and slid into the booth.

“Sorry.” she muttered.

Akira waved her off.

“No need to be sorry, I understand your concern, but Sojiro closed the shop for us for a reason.” Akira stated, arms crossed.

“Well then, oh wise leader, tell us.” Yusuke said, idly drawing in his sketchbook.

Akira took in a deep breath and spoke.

“Akechi’s alive.”

Two things happened simultaneously. Ann spat out her coffee all over the floor while Yusuke snapped his pencil in half. There was silence for a moment and then Makoto shot to her feet.

“What do you mean he’s alive!” she demanded, face flushed.

“We saw him die!” Haru cried out.

Akira held out his hands and was going to answer when there was a light cough. Everyone turned to see Akechi standing at the bottom of Akira’s stairs.

“Good morning everyone.” he said lightly.

Mouths dropped as the Thieves stared at him before suddenly questions were being shouted at both Akira and Akechi.

“How are you alive!” Makoto demanded.

“We saw you die, you no good little weasel!” Ann snapped.

“Can someone please tell me what is going on? Do my eyes deceive me?” Yusuke asked, having some sort of existential crisis.

“Guys! Guys!” Haru was trying to help calm everyone down, but her voice shook and she couldn’t seem to stop staring at Akechi.

There was a sharp whistle and everyone stopped. Akechi lowered his fingers and nodded.

“Listen, I know this is all very shocking…” Akechi started, but was cut off when Ann jumped to her feet.

“Shocking! Shocking!?! What’s shocking is you have the fucking nerve to show up here and act as if we are all buddy buddy!” she yelled as she stormed over to him, pinning him against a wall and shoving her finger into his face.

Akechi held up his hands, looking a bit nervous.

“Ann, please sit back down.” Akira demanded.

She looked at him and he nodded. She huffed, crossed her arms and walked away, sitting back down in the booth with a glare.

“There needs to be a good explanation for this.” Yusuke stated as he slowly put his sketchbook away.

“There is and it’s a long story, so everyone buckle in.” Akira said simply.

Akira looked at Akechi and he walked over, but he sat at the counter, hoping if anything more happened, Akira would at least block any attacks. Morgana chose that moment to appear and hop up on the counter.

“So, where do we begin?” Makoto asked.

With that, Akechi took over speaking. He explained how he got off the ship, how he got kidnapped with Ryuji, how they escaped and how they got to Le Blanc. By the time he was done, it had been almost an hour. Akira handed him some coffee and Akechi nodded to him.

“That is… quite the story.” Yusuke said after some time.

“There’s a lot to unpack here.” Makoto rubbed her forehead.

“But Ryuji’s safe?” Ann asked.

“He’s upstairs.” Akira thumbed.

“He slept through all that?” Haru asked worriedly.

“I tried to.” a voice called.

Ryuji appeared, rubbing his hair and yawning.

“You guys are really loud.” he grumbled.

Ann shot up and hugged him, much to his confusion before he hugged her back.

“You jerk! Stop making us worried about you!” Ann smacked his arm, making him yelp.

“Damn Ann, what is with you and hitting me?! Jesus!” Ryuji muttered rubbing his arm.

Akechi eyes narrowed as he sipped his coffee. That was an interesting sentence, he filed that away for later.

“So what is the plan from here? They are definitely not going to stop or give up.” Makoto asked as everyone settled down.

Yusuke coughed lightly.

“I apologize, but are we actually planning on helping Akechi?” he asked boldly.

“Yusuke. You can’t be serious.” Ryuji said.

“I’m afraid I am. I do not see a reason to help someone who has terrorized this city and its people. Akechi-san, you chose to be on their side and they have now turned their backs on you. How poetic, if I do say so myself.” Yusuke stated calmly.

Akechi sat there, a little startled.

“But… we can’t let him die, can we?” Ann asked, her voice small.

“If you don’t help me, I most certainly will die.” Akechi pointed out.

The Thieves all looked at each other. Ryuji’s good leg started to tap nervously.

“Guys, we can’t let him die.” Ryuji said.

No one replied and Ryuji scowled.

“I thought we were supposed to be better than those assholes! Are you all really going to sit there and judge whether his life is worth saving or not!” Ryuji argued.

“Ryuji…” Ann muttered.

“No!” Ryuji roared.

He stood up.

“I joined the Phantom Thieves to keep shitty adults from doing anything they damn well pleased! I think we all joined to do the exact same thing, right?” Ryuji demanded.

Everyone nodded and Ryuji slammed his fist on the table.

“Then how can we sit there, saying we are trying to be better when we're sitting here, looking at him and deciding whether he lives or dies! That makes us no better than the people who sent him after Haru’s dad! After Akira!” Ryuji snarled, pointing at Akechi.

There was silence where everyone stared at him and he stood there, panting heavily.

“I am not going to sit here and watch you guys decide whether or not we help him! If you don’t want to, fine! Then I’ll do it by myself!” Ryuji finished.

“Ryuji…” Akira muttered.

Ryuji looked at him.

“I thought you of all people were better than this.” he said coldly.

Akira flinched as if struck. 

“He will die. They already planned on killing us both, but if you let him walk out that door, they will find him and they will kill him. Can you all live with yourselves if you let that happen?” Ryuji demanded.

They all looked away. Ann traced the grain on the table, Yusuke was staring off into the distance, Makoto nervously played with her hair, Haru rubbed her hands together and Akira stood there, staring at nothing. Morgana coughed and they all looked to him.

“Let’s focus here and worry about the morality of this situation later. Akechi is in danger and Ryuji wants to help him. So, does anyone have a plan?” Morgana asked.

Haru hummed and tapped her chin.

“Is there a way we can make Akechi-kun into someone else?” Haru asked.

Everyone looked at her, Akechi included.

“You’re gonna have to explain that one, Haru. Because it just went right over my head.” Ryuji stated.

Haru nodded.

“It’s basically like the Witness Protection program, right? If we give Akechi-kun a new identity.” Haru explained.

“Even still, Akechi is the famous Detective Prince. His face has been all over TV and media.” Ann pointed out.

Akechi coughed.

“Actually, I already have a new identity picked out.” Akechi explained.

“Ah, so you already planned on running away.” Yusuke said.

“Something like that, yes. I knew when I took down Shido, I would have to leave town.” Akechi replied before sighing.

“So we just need to, what, get your stuff for you?” Ann asked.

“Yes. if I can get to my safe house, I can gather my things and get out of town, sooner rather than later.” Akechi stated.

“Then tell us where your house is and we will get you there.” Akira said.

Akechi nodded and stood up.

“It’s in Shibuya. Once there, I will be able to leave without any problems.” Akechi explained.

Akira’s eyes narrowed and Akechi nodded.

“And I promise I will never darken any of your doorsteps ever again.” Akechi said.

The Thieves looked at each other and nodded. With that, they made a plan.

“Is this… really necessary?” Akechi asked, staring at the wig in Ann’s hands.

“Look, we already got Ryuji to do it.” Makoto stated.

Akechi looked over her shoulder to see Ryuji wearing a pair of Akira’s glasses, a black wig and a tracksuit. He looked rather put out.

“And you believe this will… work?” Akechi said, eyeing the dark brown wig in her hands.

Ann huffed.

“I’m a professional.” she snapped.

“I doubt that very much.” Akechi grumbled.

“Shut up and hold still.” Ann replied.

Akechi resisted the urge to rip his wig off for the millionth time since leaving Le Blanc. The wig was hot and heavy, a lot longer than he was used to and it sat on his shoulders like a wet mop. He was sitting next to Ann on the train while Ryuji and the others were spread throughout the car. They didn’t want him to be seen alone, but a large group would attract too much attention.

Ann was idly scrolling through her phone when she scowled and dropped it onto her lap.

“Still nothing about Shido.” she muttered.

“They said they are keeping him under lock and key until they could figure out a way to fix him.” Akechi whispered.

“Well, there is no fixing him and the results are going to be posted soon, so they might as well accept it.” Ann hissed.

He sighed as they got up and Ann followed him. One by one the other Thieves joined them and Akechi found an odd sense of calm. This was it. Shido had been handled, sure not in the way he wanted, but still. Shido would confess to his crimes and then everything, everything Akechi had done would finally come to an end.

A hand was placed on his shoulder and he glanced over to see Ryuji smiling at him.

“No worries. We’re almost there.” Ryuji said.

Akechi nodded. He led them down a back alley to an apartment he had hidden above some restaurant. Thankfully, everything he saved was still there. As he flipped through his fake documents, he let out a breath and looked at the Thieves.

“I suppose this is goodbye then.” Akechi stated.

Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck.

“I can’t say I’ll miss you, but good luck, man.” Ryuji muttered.

Akechi smiled as one by one, they left until Akira was the last one. Staring his rival down, Akira held out a hand and Akechi looked at him, confused.

“Good bye, Akechi Goro. For the last time.” Akira said.

Akechi nodded and shook his head.

“Good bye, Akira… Joker.” Akechi muttered.

With that, Akira pulled back and the door snapped shut behind him. Akechi stared at the door before moving towards his suitcase. It was time to go.


End file.
